Alexander Filipov: A Desire to Know

Published: October 8, 2001

Alexander Filipov, an electrical engineer, did not just check his sons' homework. He explained it in complex mathematical terms. He took them sailing and taught them to calculate their location by the positions of the stars.

"He had incredible math acumen," said David, a son who is a journalist. "But he was no genius whiz nerd. He would go up to anybody and start telling stories about himself."

He asked religious proselytizers about their lives and showed them the backyard goldfish pond he had carved in granite. He learned the phrase "Do you like Chinese food?" in 17 languages to open conversations with foreigners.

Mr. Filipov, 70, and Loretta, his wife of 44 years, lived in Concord, Mass. He was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 11, which was hijacked en route from Boston to Los Angeles and flown into 1 World Trade Center.

When he was 60 and on business in California, he went bungee-jumping. "I didn't like when I was done," he said later, "and nobody was looking at me."

"Every new gadget he found he had to tell you about, whether or not you understood it," said David Filipov. "He wanted very badly to learn things and know things."